Season series: The St. Louis Blues lead the season series 1-0 after Alex Steen scored in the final minute to give them a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 9 at Scottrade Center.

Big story: Chicago looks to pick up two valuable points in the Central Division race against St. Louis, which will try to bounce back from its first defeat of the regular season on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks.

Team Scope:

Blues: A popular preseason Stanley Cup pick, the Blues seemed to be coasting along in the season's first two weeks, winning their first four games, including the dramatic victory over the Blackhawks. That all came to an abrupt end Tuesday night, however, as St. Louis not only suffered its first loss of 2013-14, but did so in resounding fashion courtesy of a 6-2 drubbing by the still unbeaten Sharks.

"They were on the right side of the puck all night and they did it with tenacity and we weren't ready for it," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "So no matter how much you talk about it, we had to experience it and now how do we go from here and move forward? That's the thing."

In addition to the loss, St. Louis is almost certain to be without forward Maxim Lapierre, who was given the option for an in-person disciplinary hearing following an illegal check on San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle, who left the ice on a stretcher and spent the night in a St. Louis hospital. In-person hearings are required for any potential suspension that could exceed five games. Lapierre is currently suspended pending the outcome of the hearing.

"I haven't really looked at it that closely on the video to be honest with you, so I don't want to comment on it until I looked at it a few times," Hitchcock said of the hit on Boyle. "I don't think that had anything to do with the outcome today. One team played hard and smart."

Blackhawks: Unlike the Blues, the Blackhawks are heading into Thursday night's game on a winning note, having defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout Tuesday night in Raleigh. That game nearly slipped away, however, as Chicago let a two-goal lead disappear when Carolina scored twice in the third period to force overtime.

"You have to give them credit," forward Marian Hossa said. "They came back and showed they're a really good hockey team with lots of skilled players. We let off the gas a little bit and they scored and all of a sudden the game was tied."

The big winner on the night was Chicago forward Patrick Sharp, who not only scored the first goal of the game and the lone goal in the shootout, but also played in his first game since his wife gave birth to the couple's second daughter on Sunday. The victory was the third in a row for the Blackhawks, who kept pace with the still-undefeated Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. The Hawks are currently three points behind the Avalanche in the standings.

Who's hot: Vladimir Tarasenko has scored in four consecutive games for the Blues. … Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford has stopped 60 of the 63 shots he's faced in his last two games.

Injury report: With the likely exception of Lapierre, who is facing suspension, the Blackhawks and Blues should both have a full lineup Thursday night.

I say Paajarvi gets the nod. {Edited because my reasoning was severely flawed. I was confusing Cracknell with Porter as my brain was probably not fully awake yet. I was right and it looks like Magnus will get the start, but my reasoning was way off. So I deleted it as it adds nothing to the conversation}

What about at goal? Neither Elliot nor Halak looked good last game. Arguing for Elliot, he has yet to get a start so it is hard to judge him in a relief effort on that strange game. Halak has started every game and may need a rest. Arguing for Halak, it is also hard to judge him on the one strange sharks game. He has been really good otherwise. This is the Hawks, so the Blues should put their best guy out there and rest him next game against the Jets. Based on that, I say Halak gets the start.

I'm also curious how the Blues look on the road. To me, the Scottrade Center ice has looked choppy causing the Blues to fumble the puck....or maybe that is wishful thinking and they just have not controlled the puck. Going on the road after a bad loss is tough. Hopefully they can bounce back, and get a big divisional road win.

Last edited by BlueNoteworthy on Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

Put yourself in Magnus Paajarvi’s shoes, or skates. It hasn’t been easy.

The 22-year-old Swede came to St. Louis in a high-profile trade during the summer, a deal that sent forward David Perron to Edmonton.

Paajarvi was genuinely excited to join the Blues, eager to reward their faith, anxious to make the transaction look right. And when the Blues play their first road game in Chicago tonight — their sixth game of the season — Paajarvi finally will get his chance.

Perron had a goal and five assists in his first seven games for the Oilers. Paajarvi has wrinkled trousers and empty pretzels bowls to show for his first few days with the Blues.

“The team is going very well,” he said. “I’m fortunate to be on the team. I want to be a part of it and, obviously, I want a bigger part. I want to play every game. Of course it’s tough mentally, because I’ve never been in this situation.

“But I’m going to just be patient, keep working. A positive attitude is critical I think.”

Paajarvi has been a victim of circumstances, to some extent. The Blues made a move late into training camp to sign free agent winger Brenden Morrow. The team earlier had signed another veteran, center Derek Roy.

Morrow and Roy are elders, with well established NHL resumes. Moreover, both have played for Blues coach Ken Hitchcock in the past. They know the playbook, so to speak. They know the “200-foot” manifesto. They know what “HitchHockey” is all about.

“It was very easy for Derek and Brenden to fit it,” Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock insists Paajarvi had a “terrific” training camp and has done nothing to warrant a press box pass. But when the season started, something had to give on a deep roster. For Hitchcock, the decision was a matter of seniority.

“You don’t want to leave veteran players on the sidelines, so it’s simple,” Hitchcock said. “I’ve always been a believer in giving the benefit of the doubt to the veteran, as long as they’re working hard and competing.

“There’s no issue with Magnus. He’s been a good player. Part of development is desperation. So younger players are sometimes discouraged because they’ve been with other programs. But here, this organization gives first benefit of doubt to veteran players.”

That said, Hitchcock said Paajarvi will be in the lineup tonight against Chicago. For one, the team will be without center Maxim Lapierre, who has been suspended for a hit on Dan Boyle Tuesday night. Additionally, Morrow did not practice Wednesday after crashing into the boards on Tuesday night.

Where Paajarvi fits in will depend on Morrow’s availability and depend on Chicago’s lineup. But Hitchcock added: “Knowing the way he is from a practice standpoint, once he gets in he’s going to be hard to take out.”

Hitchcock said he will use either Vlad Sobotka or Adam Cracknell in Lapierre’s center spot on the fourth line. He acknowledged Morrow was “banged up” but suggested he could be available for Chicago.

“We gave him the day off today,” Hitchcock said. “We’ll see what Chicago brings to the table. For sure Paajarvi is playing, and we’ll see whether Brenden needs another day off or not.”

For those who wonder, the league looked at the Brent Burns collision that sent Morrow slamming into the boards on Tuesday. Burns received a two-minute boarding penalty on the play, but it has been determined the incident does not warrant further discipline.

A video on NHL.com, under “Player Safety Education,” explains why. In a nutshell, there is no supplemental discipline involved when a player initiates contact but loses the physical battle. Presumably, that’s how the league interpreted the contact between Burns and Morrow.

Watched the second half of the game, but had to keep the sound off. From my (soundless) perspective, it looks like the Blues got hosed on a bunch of those calls, especially in the 3rd. What is going on these last couple games? Is Lapierre giving the team a bad reputation?

Really, really solid game from the Blues. The first 10-15 minutes of the game looked like a rehash of the Sharks game, but the Blues settled in and the 3rd period really was great.

I said it in flashchat and I'll say it here, I don't know how Kane's shootout move where he practically comes to a full stop is still legal. Same for spin-a-ramas. It didn't burn us last night, but it has before.

It seemed to happen like 10 times last night. The players turning the face the boards and taking a weak hit and falling into the boards. The players need to take some responsibility onto themselves. If you face the boards, there is a chance you might get run the (Frank) into them. So stop facing the damn boards so much. Put yourself in a vulnerable position and you are going to get hurt.

I am very happy with last nights game. The Blues bounced back nicely from their loss. I think they played the first Blues style hockey game (good defense, solid puck control, working the corners hard, solid forecheck, dominate shots and time of possession) I have seen, although there were times when they were sloppy which led to close shots and TOP numbers. I'd really love to see this team if it could combine the stifling defense the Blues and Hitch are known for and the great offense we saw early this year. The components are all there, they just need to put them together.

That said, Tarasenko is the man. I was really happy with his game, both last night and so far this season. No points, but he made a couple of real nice plays in the offensive zone and had some good hits and defensive plays. He could become a great complete player and the missing offensive piece the blues tried (and failed with Roy and Morrow imo) to get in free agency.

abc789987 wrote:It seemed to happen like 10 times last night. The players turning the face the boards and taking a weak hit and falling into the boards. The players need to take some responsibility onto themselves. If you face the boards, there is a chance you might get run the (Frank) into them. So stop facing the damn boards so much. Put yourself in a vulnerable position and you are going to get hurt.

Those doing it intentionally should be suspended... over razors and nails